S.C. Republican chair to join RNC race

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“I certainly am concerned with the Northeast states as much as I am the Midwest,” Dawson told the wire service over the weekend.
AP Photo

South Carolina Republican Party Chair Katon Dawson, one of the highest-profile Republican state leaders, announced Monday that he is running for the chairmanship of the Republican National Committee.

The South Carolinian, who recently hosted a conference in Myrtle Beach to discuss the future of the Republican Party, has been reaching out to his fellow party chairs for some time now. Since November 4, numerous state party chairs have told Politico that Dawson had contacted them as part of an all-but-declared campaign for the party chairmanship.

In an appearance on Fox News Channel’s “America’s Newsroom” Monday, Dawson touted his experience as a state party leader and raised concerns about the party’s performance in once-Republican areas.

“I think it’s an exciting time for the Republican Party. I think the next leader’s certainly going to need to come outside the Washington Beltway,” Dawson told Fox host Bill Hemmer. “We’ve been losing in areas of the country where we should be winning.”

Dawson likened the GOP’s current predicament to its position after 1992, when “an obscure chairman by the name of Haley Barbour took the helm of the Republican National Committee, partnered with an intellectual leader of our party, Newt Gingrich, and we moved on to success.”

As Dawson officially jumps into the race, he joins two other serious declared contenders: Michigan Republican Party Chair Saul Anuzis and former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele, who currently heads up the conservative group GOPAC.

Several other party leaders are looking at the race, including Florida Republican Party Chair Jim Greer, who told Politico last week he would decide on a bid over the coming weeks, depending on what he hears from the other declared candidates.

“I want to take a look at it. I’ve gotten calls and I believe I have support on the RNC if I ran,” Greer said last week. “We need a visionary. We need a decisive leader. And I’m hoping someone will come forward, if they already haven’t, and be able to express that view.”

The current RNC chairman, Kentucky’s Mike Duncan, is currently reaching out to state chairs to gauge support for a possible bid for reelection. On Monday Duncan will be in Georgia to campaign for Sen. Saxby Chambliss in his runoff election against Democrat Jim Martin.

A Republican source said last week Duncan’s decision about seeking another term would likely come after Republicans “get a more definitive answer” on the outstanding Senate races in Georgia and Minnesota, where Sen. Norm Coleman and his challenger, Al Franken, are locked in a contentious recount dispute.

Readers' Comments (13)

The GOP needs to expand its base badly. I am tired of seeing my party out of power. GET US BACK IN POWER SOON!!! Stop catering to Rush and Hannity PLEASE. They are hate mongers, and do not care about the issues. Start catering to the people, and you need to recognise the SHIFTING demo of the country!!! This is depressing. It's like the leaders don't care about this damn party!!! ****ING ME OFF EVERYTIME I THINK OF IT!!!

The simple solution is to embody the conservative spirit. It's as simply as the advice that your econ teacher woudl tell you. The republicans need to stop borrowing money. They need to oversea contracts better, what good is promising to lower taxes by limiting spending if you're not worried about letting other people spend needlessly for you. Government contracts are known for being goldmines that only require minimal workmanship. The last, and most important is that they need to say NO to power politics. Wars are expensive, and true conservatists would never go to war for anything but self preservation. It's the greed of people like the Dishonorable Senator Ted Stevens that has corrupted the Republican party. It's the greed that has made civil servants put themselves above the country. As for war, it's these unmasculine insecure senators that can't say no to the military. For god's sake, Eisenhower was one of our greatest war heros and he cut military spending immensly. Think smart, conserve money. Don't let government contracts waste our tax money. Don't borrow from China. Our foriegn soveriegnty funds are drying up immensly. Saudi Arabia owns the chrysler building. Think about it. We need to bring American back o being number 1. Republicans have become so short sighted. They think that anything that doesn't affect them isn't going to come back to bite them. Republicans are going to have to spend a lot of money in those areas that were lost. I think that the Independent party is going to become the new common-sense pary, and the republicans solid second position is even in jeopardy.

Selecting Dawson from one of the remaining values wing of the Republican party would be disastrous. The myopic thinking that still exists in SC would merely continue to anchor the party from any meaningful change. Mr. Burns, perhaps a follow up story on SC politics and how out of step it is would be useful to those who will vote to select a new national chairman. For example, look into how SC deals with their educational issues; the state personifies a "plantation mentality" toward education. Selecting Dawson would merely guarantee a Democratic prominence in Washington for a generation, a goal envision by what's his name only eight years ago.

What on earth are you talking about, tired of having your party out of power? The R's have held the White House for the past 8 years and the Congress for about 14 years...and look what you did to us...

I hope the Grand Old Party dies a miserable death, taking Hannity and Limbaugh with it...it will be better than they deserve.

insidebeltway is correct. as a native of south carolina it is amazing this state cannot be move past it's colonial history. This is a state that still flys the conferate battle flag, has one of the highest college tuition rates in the S.E. yet does not compare in statue to its peers, local school districts had to sue the state to have schools in their districts properly funded, fought to have women not admitted to the Citadel( admission of women would lower the standards and harm the mystic...so that means the Air Force, Annapolis, and West Point are now inferior to the Citadel), the state is ranked first in all the things you want to be ranked last in, ranked last in all the things you want to be first in, only state in the union to have a "budget and control board" unaccountable to anyone. Yes the legislature is still managed like it was prior to the Civil War. The current legislators are more concerned about getting roadways, intersections, buildings, and bridges named after them. If the national GOP leaders elect this guy with a clear understanding of what he did for the state GOP, then the GOP really deserves the resulting consequences and unintended consequences.

Having said all of that, how in the world would anyone think a spinmister like Dawson could and should run the GOP? If he is elected then someone needs to check the expiration date on the medication his supports are on!!!! The election will only embolden the Bob Jones University crowd to new heights of "entitled empowerment" to convert the heathens!!!!

Used car salesmen, unite! Have WE got a 'party' for you! But, wait!There's more! Women and minorities need not apply! For now... You'all just sit there in those wings until we whiteguys need you. Previously-Owned Mercedes dealers, unite!

The problem with the Republican party can be found in the demographics and the awakening of the sleeping GIANTS (minorities & young people). People though to be apathy. They had a simple strategy of winning that cannot, willnot work anymore. The strategy was to start the culture wars leading up to election to drive up turnout amoung social conservaties, hate groups by pitting us aginst each other. This strategy helped them get the 50 plus 1% against Kerry and you can argue that it didn't work so well against Gore as he won the popular vote. The strategy is short-sighted and it didn't take into account the changing demographics. So the party now has a PR problem. To many voters the Republican party is the party of hate & division. They same strategy that gave they short term success will cost them in the long term until they repair their reputaion. The Hispanic population is booming and they have spent years bashing the hispanics with anti-immigration/ hate filled rhetoric. Same can be said of blacks and welfare as they have spent years bashing/implying the group is lazy and just wants to collect welfare checks even though most earn an honest living. They spend years bashing gays and homosexuals instead of focusing on competent leadership and governing. Their obsession with banning gay marriage and outlawing abortions is short-sighted. It is costing them more in bad reputation than the little succes they've gotten at the poll (see CA gay ban). Most Americans don't like abortions and even pro-choice voters are not for abortions but this all or nothing view some in their party has taken on such views are driving away independents and moderates who would otherwise vote Republican. Until they can fix these issues or image problems they continu to lose elecions to the Democrats

Now here's a good way for the GOP to make the case that it hasn't been reduced to a southern regional rump party that's held hostage by intolerant crackpots: Elect as the new chairman of the Republican National Committee a southerner who just resigned a longtime membership in a whites-only country club.

Katon Dawson, the South Carolina GOP chairman, announced his candidacy for RNC chair yesterday.

And guess what: Back in September, when Dawson was first quietly laying the groundwork for his RNC run, The State reported that he resigned his membership in the nearly 80-year-old Forest Lake Club. Members told the newspaper at the time that the club's deed has a whites-only restriction and has no black members. newspaper

Dawson claimed to the paper that he'd actually been working since August to change the club's admission practices after reading about them in the press. Nonetheless, his membership could become an issue in the RNC chair race.

After all, the paper says he was a member for 12 years, so it seems like a pretty fair question to ask whether he started working to change the club's rules this summer, and then resigned, in preparation for his RNC chair candidacy.

That seems like a particularly relevant question when you recall that the case some GOPers made against Obama over his ties to Reverend Wright was that his supposed silence in the face of Wright's rantings should raise questions about Obama's patriotism.

What's more, The State said that Dawson resigned the club after it became known that the paper was getting ready to report his membership.

Either way, it's hard to see how it sends a winning message for the GOP to pick as its chief strategist and public face someone who was a member of a club where the first African American president in history apparently need not apply.

"And guess what: Back in September, when Dawson was first quietly laying the groundwork for his RNC run, The State newspaper reported that he resigned his membership in the nearly 80-year-old Forest Lake Club. Members told the newspaper at the time that the club's deed has a whites-only restriction and has no black members."

What?s the purpose behind???? Well campaign is over, action like this is nothing but exposure and building good images. Kentucky has placed a moratorium on any new payday loan companies setting up shop in the state of Kentucky for the next ten years. Regardless of how one might feel about it, it means no new businesses in at least one industry can open in Kentucky.